Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) as oncoantigen for lymphoma vaccination

Abstract

Use of intracytoplasmatic domain of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) protein and/or a nucleic acid molecule encoding for the intracytoplasmatic domain of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) protein, of any species, for the preparation of a medicament, preferably a vaccine, for the treatment and/or prevention of a tumor in a subject, preferably a lymphoma.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of treating or delaying the growth of an Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) protein expressing tumor comprising administering to a subject in need thereof a purified nucleic acid molecule comprising,
 i) a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of the nucleotide of SEQ ID No.:2 encoding the intracytoplasmatic domain of an ALK protein lacking a tyrosine kinase domain and the nucleotide of SEQ ID NO.: 3, encoding the intracytoplasmatic domain of an ALK protein comprising an inactivating mutation in the catalytic domain; or 
 ii) a nucleic acid sequence encoding the amino acid of SEQ ID NO.: 5, which is the intracytoplasmic domain of an ALK protein; 
 wherein said purified nucleic acid molecule is administered in a therapeutically effective amount to treat or delay tumor growth. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid molecule is administered in combination with a nucleic acid molecule encoding Granulocyte-Monocytes Colony Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF). 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the amino acid sequence of said intracytoplasmatic domain of said ALK protein is the amino acid sequence of the intracytoplasmatic domain of human ALK protein. 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the tumor is a neuroblastoma, a glioblastoma, a soft tissue tumor, an ALK expressing lymphoma, an ALK expressing lung, breast, colon or prostate carcinoma. 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid molecule is present in a plasmid.